Like this:

My Intention Word for the month of January is MOVE. Since the 1st I have diligently woke in the morning and immediately started the day with warm water and lemon (a new thing for me, even before my morning coffee. I’m liking this new morning ritual a lot more than I thought I would. And liking it so much, my morning coffee seems to be becoming more a beverage of taste choice more than necessity. I kind of am amazed by this. It’s the same feeling I had when I first decided to quit smoking. I though, nahhh that’ll never work. But even being healthy and making healthy choices can become a habit. Also since the 1st with my water I am heading directly for the elliptical and spending a half hour or so waking up my body with movement. This will likely get replaced with a morning yoga sequence later this month but will stay a part of my weekly movement schedule!

The other thing I noticed is that the less bravado I seem to have about starting a new habit, the easier it seems to accomplish. I took this new year to be a reset for myself. A complete re-alignment of my body, mind and soul. I’m one of those people who rush headlong into something with lots of fanfare and gusto and then I get bored or uninspired. So I needed to learn to work within my own boundaries and roadblocks to learn how to overcome them. And to learn to be my own inspiration instead of searching for outside sources. So I begin anew.

MOVE being the word for January had different meanings to me, multiple ones. For one, we are physically moving in a few months and making some decisions as to where later this month. Also move…ment out of my own negative head space that I’d been in regarding my progress with races.

You see I know a lot of very fast runners. I even know quite a few very fast race walkers. And I found myself kicking myself down for not achieving things as fast as others do. This again is another bad habit of mine. Never feeling good enough for myself. Not embracing my progress because my progress did not meet MY expectations.

Well, enough of that nonsense. I am only damaging myself and slowing myself down. So, MOVE…ment away from self deprecation and negative self judgement. And replace it with embracing accomplishment and even minuscule advancement.

I entered this challenge for this month. I adore yoga and have been avoiding it knowing that yoga makes me come face to face with the underlying issues that trouble me. But my new mindset has me excited to take this journey . Some times you have to take steps backwards to move forward and this is my step back. (If interested, click the image to find out more about the free challenge).

And also this month I’m setting up my new running schedule and cross training schedule. Instead of doing what I read others say to do, instead, I’m going to do what feels right and what inspires me and absorbs me in a fabulous way! More on that as the year progresses!

But for now I’m just happy that I am inspired with movement and feeling the joy again as I begin my re-set year! The last six months of this past year were pretty rough. I’m happy to say it’s 2017!

I decided to have one word for the year and one for each month to focus on. It’s said that what we do repeatedly becomes habit. My intention is that placing focus for a complete month; real energized, engaged, zeroed in on focus will create new more solid and grounded habits. I decided to do one word for the year, and then one word for each month to focus my intentions on……

My intention is 12 Books
That may not seem like a lot of books. But I tend to buy books with every thought to read the book, and then get carried away with social media and never pick the book up! So I already have a few books to get started with 🙂

Here is my list so far….
January – Girl On A Train
February –

My Monthly Intentions:January – Move
Stay off the sofa and move. Walk, run, hike, yoga, cross train, bike, etc. I need much much more of this in my life. Social media is a blessing and a curse. You get online and think to yourself “oh I’ll just read my email” and before you know it you’ve watched video’s on YouTube, read the news, checked Facebook, tweeted a few tweets, took some pics for Instagram and spend a good 30 minuted stuck in Pinterest land pinning your favorite recipes! So my intention is to move more!!February – Explore
I will try more new things, new ways, new activities, new places, new foods, etc… I am one of those people who if I can have it all, I don’t want any of it So I tend to just shoo shoo away what’s right in front of my while waiting for the big picture to happen. I have a HUGE hunger for travel and wanderlust wanting to go to exotic destinations. When in my own backyard I haven’t explored all the hidden treasures that are out there to experience. So I want to focus on the small picture this month and explore more of what’s right here and now!

March – Engage
Involve myself more in the world and with people.

April – Meditation
For me, meditation is everything. It is my prayer, it is my stress relief, it holds answers, it inspires confidence, etc… And yet it’s something I never do often enough or with focused intention enough.

May – Advocate
For the animals. I used to be very involved in many aspects of the animal rights movement but the subject is so broad and the problems so overwhelming that I was getting lost in the movement. I started instead to find more focus on specific issues and deciding what those issues would be. I wanted them to be issues that I could first hand have a place to create or inspire change. I want to continue that focus and become more involved now that I am more centered with the issues that I feel equipped to handle.June – Swimming
I have a deathly fear of drowning and yet being on, in or near the water is my heaven on earth. Soooo it’s time to conquer the fears!

July – Minimalism
This intention actually started last year. But I want to make sure we stay focused on minimizing. Especially junk we seem in inevitably collect. You know, that stuff you think you will use some other time so you just want to keep in “in case”. Yeah, it’s gotta go. If I haven’t used it in 6 months or a year, why do I still have it????

August – Trust
Not only learning to trust to let others in, but trust myself more. I second guess myself repeatedly. Sometimes into inaction. Trusting myself more will allow the trust to happen with others more naturally too.

September – Volunteer
Volunteering is so important. It gives back to the community and others in need. And in the long run that only enriches our lives ❤ Hopefully we’ve stayed focused on that all through the year, but if not this is a good time, as the holidays are nearing again, to re-focus those intentions!

October – Thankfulness & Giving
So next month is Thanksgiving and the holidays are hear and I think the focus should be doubled right now. So I want to focus on thankfulness and giving.

November – Conserve
For the people, the animals and the planet. A time to reconnect and reaffirm reduction in my carbon footprint. Especially as we head into a season where indulgence is the norm.

December – Family
This is a no-brainer I suppose. But reaching out and making meaningful connections to family/friends who are family is important to our quality of life. It’s time to reach out to reach out even more and make some strong connections to bring into the new year.

Thinking ahead…

January – Education
By next year we will have most of our bills paid off. At this point I know I want to head back to school. Even if it’s just for a short program or a few classes. So it’s time to start narrowing down what I want to really do!

5 Tips to Start Helping You Set Intentions

Here are some ways to set positive intentions in your life, whether that be for new year’s, or every day of the week.

First and foremost, make your intention positive. The more you are positive in your life, the more you will attract positive things. That may be something related to your personal life, work life, or spiritual life. Whatever it is for you, the importance of positivity is key in setting a successful intention.

Secondly, set realistic intentions, with realistic time frames. You know how some people say “the bigger, the better.” Well, when setting an intention, it’s probably the opposite. You want to set yourself up for success, which might mean smaller, more frequent intention setting. Just like in the example I gave earlier, waking up an setting an intention for the day gets you started on the right foot.

Next, write your intentions down. Get a separate journal or notebook, and keep track of your intentions. You can add to that in any way you like, or just have it as a list for your reference. Similar to when you write down what you’re grateful for, this creates a larger chance of your gaining something from the process of setting your intentions.

Some people find that sharing their intention with a friend, co-worker, or loved one, they are not only held more accountable, but are able to receive support from those people in helping you stayed focused on your intention.

Lastly, if you are setting a daily intention, try to spend some time meditating. This helps clear your mind and really focus on what your intention is for that day. If you are saying “I don’t have time to meditate”, all it takes is 5 minutes. That’s part of setting the intention as well.

A new year is like a blank book,
and the pen is in your hands.
It is your chance to write a beautiful story for yourself.
May your New Year’s Eve ring with laughter and cheer!
Marking the start of an amazing New Year!